Tape serving machine



March 6, 1945. "fisKRuaeE 2,370,671

TAPE SERVING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 1940 INVENTO R 7 9500%: H KeuEGER.

@muwv 47a ATTORNEYS p Patented Mar. 6, 1945 TAPE SERVING MACHINE Theodore H. Krueger, Stratford; Conn., assignor to Better Packages Incorporated, a corporation of New York Application August 3, 1940, Serial No. 350,743

3 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for the delivery of moistened sealing tape and relates more particularly to means for controlling the moistening of the tape by adjustment of the liquid level in the moistening unit. As particularly applied to tape delivering machines of the type which moisten the tape by means of brushes with which the tape is brought in contact, it relates to improved means for maintaining a constant amount of moisture at the portion of the brushes which contact the tape.

Tape moistening machines of many types and varieties have been proposed having variou expedients for moistening gummed tape to cause it to adhere to the object to which it is applied. It has been suggested in the prior art to place a brush or wick in a tank with the top of the brush extendingover the top of the tank and to cause the tape to move over the top of the brush. The liquid in the tank, which is customarily water, rises through the brushes by capillary attraction. In machines in which thetape is delivered by grasping the end of the tape and manually pulling it over the top of the brush, such moistening units are usually satisfactory, since the maximum speed at which the tape can be drawn over the brush is not so fast that the end of the brush is not easily supplied with moisture by the capillary attraction even if the water gets somewhat low in the tank. However, it has been found that in tape delivering machines in which the feed is automatic or in which gearing is used to increase the speed and hence is faster than in manual delivery machines, the tape goes over the brush with such speed that the moistening unit becomes inefiicient as capillary attraction is not fast enough to provide the proper amount of moisture at the end of the brush if the liquid level in the v constant level in the moistening unit so that the as long as any water remains in the fountain,

and which permits the machine to be operated ,for a considerably longer period of time without to below this level the vacuum in the fountain is broken and more water is delivered from the fountain until the proper level is achieved again.

Considerable disadvantage, however, has arisen from the use of this type of moisture fountain in that in refilling the fountain and replacing the same, it is always difficult and usually impossible to avoid spilling some of the liquid as the bottle is turned over to place it in position in the tank. This results in wetting some of the gum on the tape in the machine, and in gumming up the machine in the zone of tape delivery, where it will not operate efficiently unless dry. Even a. careful operator can scarcely avoid spilling some of the water as the bottle is overturned.

Another disadvantage of the present type of fountain arises from the fact that the fountain is located right at the point where the tape is delivered and hence is usually in the operators way, and when the machine is being operated at high speed, is liable to be knocked off, or broken, thus flooding the machine and rendering it inoperative. Even if the contents of the fountain are not spilled, the position of the fountain very often interferes with the manipulation of the de' livering mechanism.

It is an object of this invention to provide a liquid fountain situated entirely outside the main frame of the machine and out of the way of the.

operator, which will nevertheless maintain the brushes will always be provided with sufficient moisture, no matter at what speed the machine is operated.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a fountain sufliciently removed from the dry tape and tape supply so that the fountain may be applied to the machine when full, with any spilling which occurs taking place outside the machine and not in the tape delivery zone. It is a further object of this invention to provide a moistening unit and fountain wherein the level of moisture in the moistening unit may be adjusted to suit the needs of the operator, as for example to provide a higher moisture level when the machine is to be operated at high speeds.

It is a further object of this invention to provide flexible connections between the fountain and the moistening unit which will adapt themselves to the adjustment of the position of the fountain which in turn adjusts the liquid level.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the appended description and drawing in which I fountain. When the water goesdown in the tank 88 Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of on means and cutting means, all of which means are customarily in a single tape delivery zone. The construction shown in the drawing is illustrative of one type of tape delivering machine to which the invention is applicable, but it is to be understood that the invention may be applied to machines of other types and constructions.

In Figure 1 is shown a type of tape delivering machine having a tape supply 58 from which the tape 5i unrolls and passes through the tape guide 56, its movement being aided by the tape moving dog 52. The tape passes the cutter 53 and the brush or wick 54 of the moistening unit 55 and thus downward to be applied to a surface in a manner not shown, and not germane to this invention.

The tape delivering and moistening machine shown includes the side frames 51 and 58 between which the tape path runs.

The moistening unit 55 includes the tank 60 and the brush or wick 54 having a base 62 which is inverted in the tank.

Keeping the level of moisture constant in the tank 60 is of considerable importance in this construction, particularly as the machine is ordinarily operated at high speeds. This is accomplished by providing the fountain 63 which is inverted in the auxiliary cup 64 and supported thereby. The cup 64 is mounted outside of the tape path on the arm 65 which is vertically adjustable on the shaft 61, and can be clamped in any desired position by tightening the screw 68. A hole is provided in the bottom of the cup 64 and a fluted supporting plug l'i rests upon the bottom of the cup and supports the neck of the fountain '83. The auxiliary cup 64 is connected with the tank 50 by means of the flexible connection 69 which may be a rubber tube or the like. It will be seen that raising and lowering of the cup 54 will cause a raising and lowering of the level of the liquid in the tank 60, and hence the level of the liquid in the tank 50 may be adjusted to suit various conditions under which the machine may be operated. Owing to the flexibility of the connection 69, the cup 64 may be adjusted without movement of the tank 68.

It will be seen that the construction shown provides a fountain arrangement to keep the level of liquid in the tank constant and in which the fountain is situated outside of the frames which enclose the tape path whereby there will be no possibility of the application of the fountain 63 when full, causing liquid to be spilled in'the tape path.

While I have illustrated and described in detail one preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that changes may be made therein and the invention embodied in other structures. I do not, therefore, desire to limit myself to the specific construction illustrated, but intend to cover my invention broadly in whatever form its principle may be embodied.

I claim:

1. In a tape moistening machine, means for moistening and delivering tape, said means being situated in a single vertical zone, said moistening means including a liquid reservoir having a capillary moisture applying element therein. the upper end of which extends above the surface of the liquid in the reservoir and is normally in th path of travel of the tape, means outside said zone for maintaining constant level of liquid in said reservoir, including a fountain supply of liquid, a vertically adjustable auxiliary cup in which said fountain rests and a flexible tube connecting said auxiliary cup and said reservoir.

2. In a tape moistening machine, means for moistening and delivering tape including a liquid reservoir having a capillary moisture applying element therein, the upper end thereof extending above the surface of th liquid in the reservoir and being adapted to contact the tape, an auxiliary liquid supply cup connected with said reservoir, an upwardly extending grooved bottle supporting plug in said cup and a fountain bottle inverted in said cup and having its mouth engaged with said grooved plug.

3. In a tape moistening machine, means for moistening and delivering tape including a liquid reservoir having a capillary moisture applying brush therein, the upper end thereof extending above the surface of the liquid in the reservoir and being adapted to contact the tape, an auxiliary liquid supply cup connected with said reservoir, a fountain supply of liquid inserted in said cup, means for supporting said cup in vertically adjusted position, and a movable connection between the cup and the reservoir permitting of vertical adjustment of th cup without interrupting the flow of liquid from the cup to the fountain.

THEODORE H. KRUEGER. 

